The federal government recently crash-tested a 2015 Chevy Suburban and found that it earned somewhat lower rating in a couple of key areas—four stars instead of five stars in both the Frontal Crash category and the Side Pole test.

That still calculates out to the same four-star overall rating for the two models, but it points to the Tahoe as the pick of the two if safety is the top priority.

The same results apply, respectively, to the GMC Yukon, which is physically nearly identical to the Chevrolet Tahoe, and to the GMC Yukon XL, which corresponds to the Suburban.

Otherwise, there are indeed many good reasons to favor the Suburban—if you have the extra driveway space and don't mind resorting to three-point parking maneuvers more often than with virtually any other vehicle. At about 224 inches long, the Suburban is 20 inches longer than the Tahoe; and 14 of those inches go to the wheelbase (the distance between front and rear wheels), which definitely affects maneuverability.

All for this, you don't actually get more second- or third-row seating space in the Suburban, but getting to what's there is much easier, thanks to wider rear door openings; and there's a lot more cargo space at the back of the rig.

One additional note here on when the Suburban might still be the safer pick of the two: For towing, having a longer vehicle usually adds to high-speed stability; so if you tow on a regular basis, consider that. In either case, although the Suburban and Tahoe were refreshed for 2015, both models have in recent years maintained a great record for occupant protection, as shown by IIHS insurance claims rates.